Folding top for vehicles



W. S. RAWSON.

FOLDING TOP FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. mm.

1,347,553 Patented July 27, 1920.

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W. S. RAWSON.

FOLDING TOP FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION men OCT. 2a, 1916.

1,347, 553 Patented July 27, 1920.

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WILLIAM S. RAWSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

FOLDING TOP FOR VEHICLES. 7

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 27, 1920.

Application filed October 23, 1916. Serial No. 127,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM S. RAwsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Folding Tops for Vehicles, of wh ch the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. 7

This invention relates to folding tops for vehicles, and is more especially concerned with a bow holder for holding the bows of the top in place when the latter is folded.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle equipped with a folding top embodying my invention, the top being shown as it appears when folded and covered by its dust cover, a portion of the latter being broken away to show the bow holder;

Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the bow holder on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, partlyin elevation, on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a portion of the top showing the latter as it appears when raised;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation on an enlarged scale viewed from the inside of the top, showing a portion of the bow holder and top as the parts appear when the top is raised;

Fig. 6 is a plan of the 5; and t Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the parts parts shown in Fig.

shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, and to the embodiment of my invention which 1 have selected for illustration, I have there shown a portion of a vehicle body 1, equipped with a Referring now to the bow holder which the pair of bow holders. The latter, as herein shown, comprisesa suitable support 19 to sustain the top when lowered. In the present instance, this support is in the form of an arm projecting laterally from the vehicle body 1, and rigidly secured to the latter by a post 23. This support may be of any suitable construction, but herein the arm 19 is provided with a tapered socket 25 to receive a correspondingly tapered shank 27 of the post 23, the latter being secured in said socket by a nut 29 threaded onto said shank, and serving to force the socket upon the tapered portion of the shank, and thereby hold the arm in fixed position upon the post 23. The latter is herein generally L-shaped in form, and is provided with a threaded shank 31 screwed into a suitable bracket 33 on the body 1, and securely held against turning movement therein by a jam nut 35. The described support sustains the top when lowered, the lowermost bow 7 resting directly upon the arm 19, and the remaining bows being spaced apart more or less, as is usual. As a means for confining the bows, and holding them in their proper relation with respect to one another, as well as with relation to the supporting arm 19, I herein provide a tension device which may be, and is herein, resiliently extensible, and includes two telescopically arranged members '37 and 39, the latter sliding within the former, and encircled by the helically coiled compression spring 41, so arranged that it tends to resist extension of the device. In'the present instance, one end of this spring bears against an abutment in the form of a collar 43, secured to the inner end of the member 39, the other end of the spring bearing against an abutment in the form of a bushing 45, encircling the shank of the member 39, and threaded into the hollow member 37.

The upper end of the hollow member 37 is herein provided with an car 47, the latter being interposed between and pivoted to a pairv of ears 49, the fulcrum being shown at 51. The ears 49 may be suitably formed on or secured to a trunnion member 53, the latter being provided with a reduced portion or shank 55, constituting a swivel mounted outwardly between this bow and the bow 13 immediately beneath it when the parts are in the closed position shown in Fig. 3. Ti e swivel turns freely in its bearing plate, but is prevented from being accldentally detached therefrom by suitable means, herein 'a nut 59 threaded onto the shank 55.

As a means for attaching the member 39 to the supporting arm 19, the latter is herein provided with a suitable hook 61, which normally engages an eye 63 formed in said member. The latter may be, and is herein, provided at its terminal portion with a pair of laterally extending arms (35, constituting finger pieces which may be grasped for the purpose of extending and tensioning the device. lVhenthe device is thus extended, the eye 63 may be hooked onto the hook 61, thus retaining the spring 41 under tension. The

latter thus tends to draw the bows together, and prevent them from rattling or becoming displaced.

When it is desired to raise the top. the user grasps the finger pieces 65, and exerts a downward pressure thereon, thus further compressing the spring 1 1 until the eye 63 can be freed from the hook 61. When the top is raised, the bowholder would. naturally hang freely from the bow 15, which lies in the general horizontal position shown in Fig. 4 when the parts are raised, and would be unsightly, as well as interfering with the heads of the passengers, especially as it would .swingto and fro with the motion of the vehicle. I have, therefore, provided a stud or post 67, secured to the bow arm to sald bow and permitting. said arm to 15 and adapted to receive the eye 63. Thus, when the top is raised, the bow holder may be disposed parallel with and on top of the how 15, as illustrated in Figs. 4:, 5 and 6, and then secured to the stud 67 in the same manner in which it'was secured to the hook 61 when the top was lowered. By this means the bow holder is kept out of sight and out of the way, and is prevented from rattling.

While I have herein shown and described one form or embodiment of my invention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed indetail the construction and arrangement incidental to one specific ap plication thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific embodiment herein shown, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated form or embodiment of the invention may be made, without departing from the principles thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. In a folding top for vehicles, the combination of a plurality of bows which are stacked above one another when the top is lowered and folded, said bows including one which is inverted and in a generally horizontal position when the top is unfolded and raised, and means to hold said bows in folded relation, said means including a suitable support on the body of the vehicle, and a device carried .by such bow attached to saidsupport when the top is lowered and folded, and superimposed upon such bow when the latter is inverted when the top is unfolded and raised.

2. In a folding top for vehicles, the combination of a plurality of bows which are stacked above one another when the top is lowered and folded, said bows including one which is inverted and in a generally horizontal position when the top is unfolded and raised, and means to hold said bows in folded relation, said means including an arm and a joint connecting said arm to such bow, extending between such bow and the bow therebelow, and permitting said arm to be swung into the upper side of such how when the top is unfolded and raised 3. In a folding top for vehicles, the combination of a plurality of bows which are stacked above one another when the top is lowered and folded, said bows including one which is inverted and in a generally horizontal position when the top is unfolded and raised, and means to hold said bows in folded relation, said means including an arm and a universal joint connecting said be superimposed upon the upper side of such bow when the top 1s unfolded and raised, ,sald oint including two pivots at right angles to each other, one of said pivots.

extending between such bow and the bow therebelow when the top is lowered and folded.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM S. RA /VSON. 

